The Sacha Sauda Mess : Badal's Controlled Chaos

Punjab continues to roil for the past two weeks with a controversy over the Sacha Sauda sect and the provocative actions of its leader, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Singh took it upon himself to dress as the 10th Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh and also re-enacted the act of the formation of the Khalsa with the distribution of Amrit or holy water to his disciples. For a person who claims to have respect for all religions, his actions certainly betrayed his words. The outcome was for everyone to see – a virtual siege of the Sacha Sauda deras in Punjab, an edict from Sikhism’s highest body the Akhal Takht against the sect’s head and a demand for an unconditional apology for his actions. The sect has expressed regret over any action that may have hurt the sentiments of Sikhs but stopped short of an unconditional apology. The incident, which seemed to have blown over, was reignited with the Takht throwing out the sects ‘regret’ and pressing on for an unconditional apology. It remains to be seen whether the sect follows the call for an apology, which has now also come from the state chief minister Prakash Singh Badal, or does the confrontation take a turn for the worse. This present controversy has two underlying issues that need to be addressed. One, the manner in which the Sikh protests were organized seemed to indicate a tacit understanding by the ruling dispensation. It also proved that the entire protest was controlled by the chief minister as pay back for the sects leanings towards the Congress party in the state elections in February. This support for the Congress cost the Akalis many seats in the Malwa belt. Second, this incident again highlights the role, often counterproductive, played by religious sects in all religions, which seem bound by no laws, sometimes even acting above the law.

Analysts have warned that the edict by the Akhal Takht will lead be a throwback to the days when Sikhs protested and attacked the Nirankari sects that ultimately strengthened the call for an independent Sikh state – Khalistan. It also threw up radicals like Bindrawala whose actions led to tragic consequences most notably Blue Star followed by the devastating years of terrorism that affected most families – Sikh or otherwise in Punjab. However, to compare the incident of 1978 with what we are witnessing today is inaccurate. Not only have the majority of Sikhs seen the horrors that the fundamentalists in their religion can unleash, 1978 was also a different time and era in Indian politics and civil society in general. The fringe elements that sit in Canada or the US may still be adamant on creating Khalistan, but they remain detached from the realities of Punjab today. It is malls that are being created not Khalistan! At the same time the Sikhs do not feel the political isolation of the 70’s with a Sikh prime minister and the role Sikh leaders and party’s in the politics of the centre. The underlying fact remains that this incident is nothing new for anyone who has followed Akali politics. They are known to extract their revenge from those who they may perceive as threats or their enemies. The purge of civil servants and those close to the past regime was a given once the party took over in February. Sacha Sauda also seemed to be on the “to fix” list of the Badal’s. After having approached the sect for political support in the elections, the Akalis felt betrayed that Ram Rahim Singh chose the Congress over them. What added fuel to the fire was the fact that the support for the Congress ensured that the Akalis lost seats in their otherwise stronghold of Malwa. The Sacha Sauda leader did himself no favors when he went out dressed as the tenth Guru and proved to be an easy target for the Akalis. The Akalis used their Akali-Akal Takht understanding to the hilt and ensured that the state came to a virtual standstill over the issue. In simple terms the controlled chaos one is witnessing today is thanks to the blessing of Badal who is playing with fire and is proving successful for the time being. The veteran of Akali politics must however not get carried away from how things are playing out at the moment. It is likely that the independent minded Akal Takht and its Jathedars would want to show to the world that they are not mere pawns in this Akali-Congress duel, but rather are the one’s who are calling the shots. If the Frankenstein that Badal has awoken goes out of hand, not even the best political maneuvering can save bloodshed or violence in the state. Badal’s tactics seem to getting closer to that dire consequence, with the Akal Takht calling for a Punjab bandh today. Also, the deadline of the Takht to close down all deras by May 27th is fast approaching and Badal must ensure that the issue is resolved well in time before things get out of hand.

The other area of concern remains the actions of the Sacha Sauda itself. It is difficult to believe that the Ram Rahim Singh would not have envisioned the fallout of his actions. He did manage to hurt the sentiments of Sikhs and now seems to have taken a stand of not bowing to the demands of the Akal Takht. If, as he himself professes, by his actions he has caused such pain to the people of Punjab, unwittingly as it may be, for the sake of peace would a public apology not further his message of peace and harmony between different religions? Or does ego hold sway over pointless violence. The other important issue that has not been discussed is the role of some pseudo-religious and pseudo-secular sects that are part of every religion in the country. They enjoy a huge following and most leaders of such sects are considered the reincarnation of gods themselves. Huge amounts of money are transacted through these sects with little accountability. Countless cases of sexual harassment and abuse along with nefarious activities are often attributed to these sects. Our country can be proud to say that all religions are ‘regulated’ by some broad rules and regulations that do ensure sanity in governance of religious bodies. However, there exist many sects that seem to be above the law and their writ runs across all their deras and places of worship. While it would be specious to club all religious sects under the same sweeping generalization, there is no arguing that there do exist many groups that need tighter regulation. Further, its is appalling that such sects would openly flaunt their political credentials and ask disciples to vote for one party or the other. It is high time that leaders in each religion recognize this grey area that exists within their faith and find ways to tackle it before more Sacha Saudas appear on the horizon with potential for harm.

The other curious stand taken is that of the BJP. After having taken 19 seats out of the 25 odd contested, they do not want to be taken as the smaller player in the Akali-BJP combine in the state. They have held the Badal government, of whom they are a part, as being responsible for any violence or loss of life that may come out of the entire episode. The BJP’s calculation is two-fold. One, they do not want to alienate the Hindu vote both in Punjab and Haryana, who form a major chunk of the sects disciples. Second, the party does not want to have blood on its hands if things take a turn for the worse. Politics it seems was inevitable in this passion-fuelled debate. The next few days will remain tense for Punjab, will this controversy put Punjab back to the days of militancy, one doubts it. Does this incident, though, have the potential to take it back to the days of militancy, one fears so.